Personal Notes: On Becoming Lighthouse Keepers
We wanted to see if the lifestyle of a lighthouse keeper could be in our future. We arranged a visit to East Brother Island and its popular light station located just 30 minutes from San Francisco. Come join us, this could be your cup of tea.
Where we are
East Brother Island is located in the San Pablo Bay, which connects with the San Francisco Bay.
East Brother Light Station is managed by a Richmond nonprofit conservation group, which in 1980 obtained permission from the Coast Guard to renovate and keep the light station active.
The organization relies on many volunteers to help with ongoing maintenance and pays most of the bills by renting out the five rooms on the island, four days a week.
get to the island
After a series of email communications, we agreed to meet and interview the innkeeper couple at the lighthouse on East Brother Island.
On Monday morning, we were waiting at the less-than-fancy Point San Pablo yacht harbor when our captain/innkeeper pulled up to the dock in the island’s aluminum craft.
Before we could board the ship, the Captain first assisted the guests leaving the island. The visitors must have enjoyed their island experience because everyone was laughing and acting like old friends.
After introductions our host started the engines and left the port for a short 10 minute ride to the island.
He immediately briefed us on what to expect when we got to the pier. He described how we would have to climb a very vertical stainless steel pool type ladder that runs from the deck of the boat to the landing dock that joins the island. Depending on the tide, the rise can be up to 12 feet. Please think about that before making reservations if you are physically unable to climb a staircase. Also, unfortunately the island cannot comply with the ADA.
Buildings and facilities on the island
The one-acre island has two old buildings plus an 1874 Victorian lighthouse. The old work shed has been converted into a cozy cottage for innkeepers, and the other outbuilding houses the machinery needed to operate the foghorns.
The island has electrical power supplied by an undersea cable from the mainland and a self-contained water system containing around 90,000 gallons of rainwater stored in a white-lined underground cistern and above-ground redwood water tank.
Due to the ever-present danger of water shortages in the Bay Area, showers are not available for guests staying only one night. No one seemed to care about the inconvenience.
After gathering our photographic equipment and walking up the steep ramp between the pier and the island, the Captain gave us a tour of the first building we came across, which houses the machinery to operate the foghorns. For our benefit, he turned on the diesel generator and gave us a live performance of the trumpets.
Becoming an island innkeeper
We soon found out that our hosts had only been lighthouse keepers for ten weeks, and at the time of writing, they had already moved on to their next adventure. Lighthouse maintenance is a fun, but demanding job, and the turnover is pretty high, but apparently that’s not a big deal for stakeholders.
How many people would love to run a Victorian Bed and Breakfast on a small California island with a good salary, room and board, seals, pelicans, and a five-star view of the San Francisco skyline? Many, that’s the amount.
We are told that the pool of applicants for the job is usually large, but there are serious factors of elimination in the innkeeper application.
One of the applicants must be an excellent cook and capable of preparing and presenting food for a table of ten.
Another requirement is that one of the applicants must have a Coast Guard Commercial Vessel Operator’s License.
Finally, the two possible innkeepers must be charming. Now we are getting somewhere.
about work
In the case of East Brother Light Station, the island is open to the public four nights a week starting on Thursday.
Preparing for the guests
On Wednesday morning, the innkeepers are ashore buying provisions for up to 40 guests (5 rooms x 2 guests x 4 nights). They select food for the menu, collect mail, clothing, fuel, and whatever else they will need for the next week on the island.
On Thursday morning, they boat back to the island with their supplies, unload their cargo onto a large wire cart waiting at the dock, and drive the cart up a steep ramp that connects the dock to the island. They unload and store supplies and prepare the island for visitors.
A day with guests
On Thursday afternoon, promptly at 4:00 pm, the designated captain/innkeeper returns to the marina dock at the Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor to board guests on Thursday evening.
Upon returning to the island, hosts provide a tour, champagne hors d’oeuvres, and show guests to their rooms.
Visitors then have ample time to explore the small island and take in the seabirds, animals, and fabulous views before dinner.
At dinner, visitors are served a multi-course meal exquisitely prepared using the finest fresh ingredients.
All the guests are seated at a large table, which creates a pleasant atmosphere and an opportunity to socialize.
Friday morning would come too soon, but a sumptuous gourmet breakfast would await all the guests. Pity those one-night guests who must now return to the mainland to resume their daily lives.
After transferring the guests and their luggage to the mainland dock, the captain returns to the island to help his partner clean up and prepare for the new guests on Friday afternoon.
Saturday and Sunday are a repetition of Thursday and Friday.
After saying goodbye to the last guests of the week on Monday morning, the innkeeper returns to the island and to the tasks he was unable to complete during the work week.
Later in the day, the innkeepers load the laundry along with the empty bottles and trash onto the island’s wire cart. The cart is pulled to the opposite end of the island and hooked up and winched down to the waiting boat on the island. The innkeepers leave for the port, unload the cargo and begin a well-deserved Tuesday of rest.
not for everyone
The innkeepers at East Brother Light Station live a romantic life filled with compliments from guests, fresh air, sunshine, seabirds and seals. There are probably several of our readers who would change places if they could. Life is short, you might want to give it a try! However, we decided not to.
Happy travels!